1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, systems, and products for radio frequency identification aiding the visually impaired.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional primary travel aids for the visually impaired include guide dogs and long canes. Secondary aids include such electronic travel aids (“ETAs”) as laser canes and sonar-based devices such as the well-known Sonic Guide™ and Sonic Pathfinder™. All have limitations. One limitation of prior art travel aids is that they provide little or no information regarding a user's orientation with respect to the general environment. The advent of global positioning systems and cellular telephone networks offers some hope of delivering to blind users pedestrian information describing location and general environment with accuracy, but cost effective devices for general orientation with blind-friendly displays are not generally available.
Prior art devices also have limitations regarding orientation with respect to a local environment and with the detection of hazards not detected by the use of a primary mobility aid. Long cane users, for example, find it difficult to maintain a straight travel path without some additional information regarding the local environment. Long cane users with good hearing may manage straight line travel along the side of a road carrying traffic and in some cases when walking along a wall listening to the echo of their cane and their foot steps. Some blind cane users may rely on cane contact with the ‘shore’ line or side curb, a cane technique sometimes called ‘touch and drag.’ Guide dog users often are almost completely ignorant of the features which border their routes. A guide dog is very good at navigating a blind person through a local environment without contact with or knowledge of the surroundings.
In terms of detection of local obstacles, prior art travel aids for the visually impaired have limitations. The long cane will not detect hazards above waist height unless the hazards continues down to the ground. Sonic-based guides are not good at detecting objects that do not reflect sound well, and some of them are practically useless indoors. In addition, it is important to remember that all independent travel is goal directed. Blind persons must not only avoid things, they must also find things. Prior art devices are generally unable to indicate the nature of objects in the environment or the location of objects farther away than the length of a cane. For all these reasons, there is a definite need for improvements in the field of travel aids for the visually impaired.